Acupuncture helps prevent nausea and vomiting

2014-05-06 10:13:32

Acupuncture involves inserting very thin needles into specific areas of the body to promote health. Postoperative nausea and vomiting are common complaints, even despite advances in care. One newly published study examined whether it would be better to use two separate acupuncture points together, or only one point by itself.^[1] Both points are located on the wrist and hand. The researchers looked at 227 surgical patients who underwent general anesthesia and were randomly assigned to two groups. They compared how often nausea and vomiting occurred between the two groups. The results showed that those who only had one acupuncture point experienced a large amount of nausea and vomiting (85.7%). Those who had both acupuncture points experienced less nausea and vomiting (69.6%).

Acupuncture has also been studied without actually inserting needles, and this is called acupressure. It simply means applying pressure to the acupuncture point locations. It can be done with fingers or little pellets. In early pregnancy, nausea and vomiting are common complaints. In one study, pregnant participants were randomized to receive either no treatment, or little pellets to stick on their ears at specific locations.^[2] They filled out questionnaires regarding their symptoms. The study found that those who used the ear pellets had less symptoms, especially 4 to 6 days after they started.